Sole press



J F. SMITH Feb. 16, 1960 SOLE PRESS Filed April 12', 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

a BY SOLE PRESS john F. Smith, Braintree, Mass., assignor to Compo Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application April 12, 1956, Serial No. 577,687

9 Claims. (Cl. 1236.8)

The present invention comprises improvements in sole presses of the type having a sole-engaging pad which cooperates with one or more overhead abutments for subjecting a lasted shoe to pressure in effecting adhesive union between the elements of the shoe bottom. The invention may be embodied to good advantage in presses of the turret, duplex, or two-station or conveyor types.

A characteristic feature of the invention consists in a pad box carrying a pad and being mounted for movement under power actuation toward a heel post or other abutment in timed relation with the inflation of the pad, thus expediting the application of pressure to the interposed shoe as compared to the operation of those presses in which the working pressure is developed by inflation of the pad alone. By this expedient a sole press is provided of greater operating range in respect to shapes and sizes of shoes treated and of greater convenience in operation than presses heretofore available. Since the operating pressure is produced in part by movement of the pad box, the pad itself is relieved to a large extent of the exacting requirements to which the pad must be subjected when its inflation is solely relied upon to create the working pressure. The life of the pad is therefore increased and an accurate and comprehensive pressure is applied to the more or less irregular contour of the shoe bottom.

Preferably and as herein shown the pad box is mounted to swing or rock about an axis adjacent to its toe end so that in operation the heel portion of the pad is moved farther and faster than its toe end. This is a desirable feature, whether or not employed in association with an inflatable pad, because in commercial practice the operator must handle shoes that vary much more in the dimensions of their heel portions than in the dimensions of their foreparts. In other words, there is relatively little difference in the thickness of the foreparts of shoes of different styles while the heel portions may or may not include wedge sections of very substantial thickness. By mounting the pad box to swing about an axis adjacent to its toe end, ample clearance is provided for presenting shoes of various diflierent styles to the press and at the same t'une full pressure is promptly exerted on the heel portion by the combined movement of the pad box and the inflation of the pad therein.

Another feature of the invention comprises mechanism for moving the pad box to a preliminary position of pressure under light action and then inflating the pad and locking the pad box in that position so long as as pad is inflated and the lasted shoe subjected to sole attaching pressure. As herein shown the desired results are secured by the employment of fluid pressure connections arranged to operate in timed relation, the preliminary movement of the pad box taking place prior to the admission of fluid pressure to the pad itself.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

nited States Patent 9 'ice Fig. l is a view in elevation, partly in section, of the invention as embodied in a sole press of the turret type,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a unit used in a sole press of the conveyor type, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the fluid pressure system of the press.

The turret sole press as shown in Fig. 1 includes in its organization a vertical stationary post 10 about which the turret is arranged to be rotated by mechanism not herein shown. As an integral part the turret includes an upright sleeve 12 and a number of radial arms of which only one, 13, is herein shown although it may be assumed that there are four or six similar arms.

To the sleeve 12 above each of the arms 13 is securedan outwardly and upwardly extending radial arm 14 having at its outer end an outwardly inclined guideway 15. A slide 16 is adjustably mounted upon the guideway 15 and provided with a vertically adjustable toe post 17 provided with a pad adapted to engage the forepart of a lasted shoe to be operated upon.

A supplementary overhanging arm 18 is pivotally mounted to swing about a stud 19 passing through the a fixed arm 14. At its outer end the supplementary arm 18 carries a pad 20 to which is pivotally connected a rocker member 21 carrying a vertically adjustable heel post 22. The heel post is adapted to engage the top surface of the last cone and with the toe post serve as overhead abutments to resist the sole attaching pressure applied to the shoe bottom. The supplementary arm 18 is provided for adjustment with a series of holes 23,.

any one of which may be aligned with a locking pin 24 when the arm 18 is swung about the stud 19. The holes 23' and pin 24 provide a convenient means for quickly adjusting the position of the heel post 22 with relation to the forepart pad while finer adjustment may be secured by a threaded connection between the heel post and therocker member 21.

A pad box 28 having an open top to receive a pad 29, herein shown as inflatable, is provided at its toe end with a forked connection by which the pad box is pivotally mounted on the stud 19 thus movably supporting the pad box for movement about an axis adjacent its toe end. To the rear end of the pad box is secured a contact member in the form of a block 30 having serrations or detents in its lower face, The pad box is also provided with a perforated boss 31 through the medium of which fluid pressure connections are made with the pad 29. These connections include a flexible tube 32 which in each of the illustrated modifications of the press extends between the movable pad box and a stationary member of the fluid pressure system.

Any suitable power-operated mechanism may be employed for swinging the pad box upwardly to a position of initial pressure. As shown in Fig. l a horizontal cylinder 35 is secured to the arm 13 by brackets 36 and 37 and is provided with a piston operating a piston rod 38 carrying at its outer'end a roller 39. The roller is arranged to move between two contact members, one of which is the serrated block 30 already mentioned and the other of which is a block 40 fast to the outer end of the turret arm 13. A fluid pressure tube 41 leads to the inner end of the cylinder 35 to impart working pressure thereto, and tension springs 42 serve to retract the piston rod 38 and its roller 39 when the exhaust of the cylinder 35 is opened. As will be explained later the connections 32 and 41 are controlled by timed valves which define a cycle in which the pad box 28 is swung upwardly before the pad 29 is inflated. It will be apparent that the preliminary movement of the pad is effected by a relatively light action but that it will be locked in its position of preliminary pressure when the pad 29 is inflated and the The invention is shown in Fig 2 as' 'embodi'ed in o'neunit of a sole press of the conveyor type.- In this instance the elements of the mechanism are mounted upon an angle plate 44 which is secured to theibel-t 45' of the conveyor press. The overhanging arm 14" is secured to the upright flange of the plate 44 and to this arm is pivoted the adjustable supplemental arm 18 carrying the heel post 22 already described. The pad box 28 is also shown as pivotally mounted upon the arm 14'. Divergent contact members employed in lifting the pad box comprise a block 46 secured to the bottom of the box and a serrated block 47 secured .to the base of the angle plate 44. With these contact members the roller 39reac'ts when advanced by fluid pressure admitted to the cylinder 35.

The cylinder is supplied by a branch pipe 51 which leads back to an inlet nozzle 56- projecting rearwardly through the vertical flange 44' of the; angle plate. The pipe 51 is connected through a three-way a-ir pilot valve 52, the flexible tube 32 and the quick exhaust valve 53 to the pad 29. A by-pa'ss tube 54 leads through a flow control valve 55 back'to the pipe 51. As the unit is moved into operating position the inlet nozzle 56 is connected to a fluid pressure source for actuating the piston of the cylinder 35 and inflating thepad 29.

The cycle of operations will be best understood from a consideration OfFig. 3 where the supply line 49 is shown as provided with a three-way sleeve valve 50.

Air is admitted into the circuit by means of the valve 50 which is normally operated by means of a foot treadle through the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 but may also be operated manually. opened compressed air flows directly to the cylinder 35 and causes the roller 39 to advance-and elevate the pad box 28. The detent block 47 prevents the roller from slipping back from its advanced position. When the pressure of air in the cylinder 35 reaches 65% of the line pressure air, the flow of whichis controlled by the flow regulating valve 55, it actuates theair operated pilot valve 52 allowing compressed-air to enter the inflatable pad 29 at that lower pressure. Upon completion of the dwell time during which the shoe bottom is under compression, the valve 50 is opened either manually or by a cam operating against a roller 57 in the valve operating mechanism. This exhausts the entire system of compressed air. The inflatable pad 29 is deflated instantly by the quick exhaust valve 53 which opens automatically when the compressed air in the line is reduced below that of the pad. Assoon asthe pressure provided by the pad is released, the springs 42 retract the roller 39 permitting thepad" box to return to its initial lower position. The shoe is thus freed for removal and the unit is conveniently presented in condition to receive the next shoe.

From the foregoing description itwill be clear that the sole press of my invention provides automatically for the uniform treatment of shoes regardless of variations in the height of the last or the thickness of shoe bottom. The pad box is moved preliminarily to a positier: of contact or initial pressureunder light action and then the pad is inflated, always to the same predetermined extent, and the sole attaching pressureis built up to the desired degree in every instance whatever the position of the pad box. I I

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail illustrative embodiments; thereof, I. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A sole press comprising a turret movable about a vertical axis and having upper and lower radial arms, adjustable heel and toe posts carried by the upper of said arms, an underlying pad box containing a .pad and being pivoted to said upper arm to swing about an axis When the valve 50 is f adjacent its toe end, and power operated mechanism carried by the lower of said arms for controlling the position of the said pad box.

2. A sole press as described in claim 1 in which the heel and toe posts are mounted for relative bodily adjustment and also individual adjustment with respect to the pad box.

3. In a sole press an overhead abutment, an underlying pad box containing an inflatable pad, means for pivotally supporting the pad box on an axis adjacent its toe end in an outwardly and downwardly inclined position, a detent contact member secured .to the heel end of the pad box, a cooperating actuating element operated by fluid pressure for swinging the pad box upwardly, and flexible fluid connections to the pad.

4. in a sole, pressan overhead abutment, an underlying pad box. containing an inflatable pad, means for pivotally supporting the pad box, to swing about a horizontal axis located beyondv the toe end of the pad, fluid connections to the pad, and power operated means for lifting the pad box and its, contained pad to different positions depending upon the height of an interposed lasted shoe and acting positively to support the box in such position. I

5; A sole press having the elements described in claim 4, in which the power operated means for lifting the pad box comprises a fluidi pressure cylinder, an inclined contact member, and a roller which is advanced with respect to the contact member by said cylinder and acts on said member in a wedging manner.

6. A sole press having an overhead abutment, a pivotally mounted underlying pad box containing an inflatable pad, fluidconnections to the pad, opposed contact pieces disposed at an angle to each other beneath the pad box, one of which is provided witha series of detents, and a roller arranged to be moved by fluid pressure between said contact pieces to lift the, pad box to a position of preliminary pressure and to lock the .pad box in such position by engaging one of said dtents while the pad box is subjected to pressure by inflation of the pad.

7. A sole press comprising in its structure a frame having upper and lower outwardly extending arms, an adjustable heel post mounted on the upper of. said arms, an underlying pad box. containing an inflatable pad and being-pivoted to swing below. the heelpost about anaxis adjacent to its toe end, flexible. fluid pressure connections leading to the pad at .a,. -p oint remote from the heel end of the pad box, fluidpressuremechanism acting on the heel end of the pad box tor'irnparting an initial movement thereto, and valves; controlling the admission of fluid pressure to the pad and to.-the;mechanism for moving the pad box. v H

8. A sole press as describedflin claim] in. which a stepped contact element is interposed between the pad box and the fluid pressure .mechanismfor moving the pad box.

9. A sole press comprising a turret movable about a vertical axis and having radial arms, adjustable heel and toe posts carried by one of said arms anunderlying pad box containing a-pad andbeing pivoted to one of said arms to swing about an axis adjacent to its toerend, and power-operated mechanism for swinging the padbox toward the heel post.

References Cited in the file of this. patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,709,293 Walther Apr. 16; 1929 2,444,331 Brauner June 29, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 457,748 Great Britain Dec. 4, 1936 665,769 Germany Oct. 3', 1938 883,720 Germany h, July 20,1953 966,370 France Mar. 1. 1950 

